The disposable speculum with included light and complementary mechanisms for gynecological examination and surgery, is a medical instrument that gives positive advantage compared with others which are used now in this health branch.
The vaginal speculum is a medical device, which is introduced through the introito to the vagina separating its walls, to be examined and making the medical or surgical proceedings easier at the vaginas neck level by sight or guided by colposcopya and of the uterus by the endoscopya.
The speculum upper sheet external face is convex, with flat surface and rounded edges to avoid pinches, that happen frequently using disposable speculas with sharp sides.
The internal face of the same sheet is concave and it has three semicircular cuts with certain distance between them, and they are connected amongst themselves for a pair of internal and lateral channels, that end in the upper right part of the proximal end which will serve to evacuate with a special vacuum (available at the market), the smoke and gases generated when any sort of gynecological surgery is practiced for vaginal tract, when cauterius are used with mono or bipolar electrodes, radio frequency or laser, this protects the medical doctor and close staff of possible contamination, making the procedure easier and shorter, because there is a better visibility.
The vertical branch or upper sheet handle has some prongs, that insert in the vertical branch or lower sheet""s handle, that has some foremasts where the saw prongs will rest when the speculum is open to make the visual and the examination area bigger. In order to make the speculum opening smaller, it is necessary to press on a button that makes the prongs come out and move away from the foremast, sliding the upper sheet""s vertical branch on the lower sheet""s vertical branch, and to close the specula and remove it without pain, pressure has to be made on the other button to unblock the upper sheet.
The lower sheet""s external face is convex with flat surface and rounded edges, too. The internal face of the same sheet is concave, and it has three semi-circulars cuts with certain distance between them, connected amongst themselves for an internal oval flat channel, which ends in the lower extreme of the sheet""s descendant branch, where it turns into a round channel where the blood, that is originated from the surgical area through a vacuum designed for this proceedings, is evacuated, making them more comfortable easier and faster, avoiding the dryness and the clearing of thief sloped place where the blood is accumulated. If this end is not connected to a vacuum, it can also be connected to make the blood flow through gravity. Joined to the previously described, and to optimize the visibility of surgical and examination area, in the upper sheet""s internal face, in the center, and on the space between the two first cuts, there is a light bulb, which given its nearness to the surgical area, will offer clarity and because of its localization will not interfere with the surgical proceedings. The light bulb is protected to avoid damage by the instrumental, and it has a thermal isolation to avoid heat up of the speculum upper sheet, which would cause injuries on the vaginal mucous. The internal face of the anterior portion close to the light bulb has an aluminum reflexive cover (a metal covering vacuum technique with aluminum) which will offer an excellent lighting. The speculum has to be made of dark non-reflective material when used in laser proceedings.
Convinced by my personal experience as a gynecologist, that many patients don""t attend appointments of this specialty and don""t take a cytology, because they are afraid to be hurt when the speculum is used; in some cases problems are created due to the designs of some disposable speculum and reusable metal specula that make their use difficult, not practical for the medical doctor and uncomfortable for the patient, in many cases producing small injuries that cause discomfort for the patients which give a bad reputation to these devices.
The vaginal speculum is a device which is introduced through the introito to the vagina separating its walls to be examined and making the medical or surgical proceedings easier at the vaginas"" neck level by sight or guided by colposcopya and of the uterus by the endoscopy.
Some speculums have ungentle edges and their surface is rough causing sometimes pinches of the vaginal mucous and on the smaller and bigger lips. Others have their sheets separated which makes them unstable when they are introduced in the vagina, causing discomfort to the patients and not allowing the specula to open on their distal end if it is required, to expand the surgery field and examination area. Some of them have the handle""s lower end of the lower sheet with a forward curvature, being this the support point to handle and open the speculum, which allows the contamination of the gloves due to their closeness to the anal and perianal area, besides to cause discomfort to the patients. The same happens with the other ones that have a mechanism to open the sheet""s that consist in a curve piece with prongs on the upper sheet""s handle, which introduces itself in a cut of the lower sheet handle, producing similar effect as the previous one. In both previous cases if the medical doctor doesn""t take precautions to change his gloves and proceed to practice a vaginal tact like a complement of the examination, he would be contaminating the patient with possible anal pathology to the vaginal area, and with possibilities of propagation to the pelvic area, with their consequences sometimes irreversible from the medical point of view, like for example, pelvic inflammatory chronic illness, infertility caused by tubary obstruction among others and they seem expensive from the economic point of view.
The speculum proposed by me, has rounded edges and fat surface and has an opening mechanism comfortable and fast for the upper sheet, the same works to enlarge the distance, between the both sheets, giving wideness to the surgery or examination area. The lower sheet""s handle has in its distal end an elbow shaped handle to avoid discomfort to the patients in the anal and perianal area, and therefore with out contamination.
In regards to the portable lighting which come from the light bulbs, which are located on the speculum upper sheet and which after each examination are removed and used again with other patients, open the possibility for contamination even with precautions. The same would happen in other prototypes of reusable lighting, where the light is attached to the upper sheet""s internal face with adhesives used for these cases.
The lighting proposed by me, would be included in the disposable speculum upper sheet internal face through a small light bulb localized between the two first cuts, and it will be feed through a plug located on the back end and upper right of the speculum upper sheet. The light bulb has a thermal isolation to avoid injuries of the vaginal mucous membrane, and also because of its proximity to the surgical area, it will give an excellent lighting that will help to make the procedures easier. The internal face in the front part at the light bulb has an aluminum reflexive cover (aluminum metal vacuum technique) which will have effect on an very good lighting. When the speculum is used in proceedings with laser, it has to be made with a dark and no reflexive material.
There is a pipe system for the smoke and gases suction which are generated in specific gynecological methods through vaginal via, but its surface is not too big.
Thinking about the high incidence of bacterial, micotical and viral illness in the gynecological area, and that some of these are involved in the feminine cancer etiology, and that in many cases the practice of methods using cauterius, radio frequency or laser, is necessary, generating smoke and gases that can be sources of contamination, the speculum described has in the upper sheet""s internal face three cuts (to a certain distance each one) separated one of another by a certain distance and internally connected by a pair of channels designed to evacuate them through a special vacuum, also improving the visibility, having as a result a less time investment.
The cut""s surface of the speculum proposed by me, is big because of it semicircular form, and because they are distributed along of the upper sheet and bilaterally and internally connected will have a bigger absorption surface, a bigger utility and effectiveness.
It also has three cuts on the lower sheet""s internal face that will drain the blood and liquids originated from the surgery area, whether vaginal, cervical, or when they practice uterine endoscopes, making faster proceedings, avoiding the drying and cleaning at intervals of the surgical area, specially in these last ones, where large amounts of liquids are used. To make the speculum use faster and comfortable, some bottoms have been designed, which by pressing make the opening and closing of it easier.
The ideal would be a prototype of speculum, which would have included all the necessary mechanisms for examination and gynecological surgery through the vaginal tract, and easily disposable later, because this area sometimes is highly contaminated by sexual transmission illnesses, bacteria, fungus, and virus, some of these involved in the feminine genital cancer etiology.
The prototype of the disposable speculum created by me, offer and join these advantages.
It is about a disposable speculum with included light and complementary mechanisms for examination and gynecological surgery; which offers positive advantages compared with the ones which are actually used in this health branch.
As a gynecological medical doctor, I am concerned for practicing an excellent exam, looking for the patient""s and our comfort, which will have optimum results that will change the preconceived negative mentality of our dear patients for this type of exams and procedures, making them more agile and that using the specula is not traumatic, I decided to propose a prototype of a plastic transparent disposable speculum, which includes several requirements for such purposes.
The speculum upper sheet external face is convex, of flat surface and having rounded edges to avoid pinches, which are so common with the disposable speculum that does not have delicate edges. The internal face of the same sheet is concave and has three semi-circulars cuts at a certain distance between them, and connected through a pair of lateral internal channels which end in upper right area of the proximal, which will serve to evacuate with a special vacuum (available in the market) the smoke and gases produced when any kind of gynecological surgery through the vaginal tact is practiced, where cauterys are used, monopolar or bipolar electrodes, radio frequency or laser, protecting de medical doctor and near staff of possible contamination, making the procedure easier and shorter and offering a better visibility.
The external face of the lower sheet is convex with a flat surface and has it also has its rounded edges. The internal face of the same sheet is concave and has three semicircular cuts at a certain distance amongst themselves, connected between them by an internal oval, flat channel which ends in the lower end of the descendent branch of the sheet where it becomes in to a round channel through which the blood produced on the surgical area is evacuated through a vacuum used for this procedures, making them easier and faster and avoiding the drying and the cleaning of the places where the blood is accumulated. If this end is not connected to a vacuum, it can be connected to a container through a hose and the blood will flow by gravity. The vertical branch or upper sheet""s handle has some prongs in it and they fit in the vertical branch or lower sheet""s handle which has some foremasts where the saw prongs are inserted when the specula is opened to expand the visual and examination field. In order to reduce the specula""s opening, pressure is made on a button that forces the prongs to go out and separate from the foremasts sliding the vertical branch of the upper branch into the lower sheet""s vertical branch; to close the speculum and remove it without discomfort pressure has to be made over another button that unlocks the upper sheet.
Joined with the previous, and in order to optimize the examination area or surgery area visibility, on upper sheet""s internal face, centrally and in the space between the two first cuts, there is a small light bulb which, given it nearness to the surgical area, will give clarity and because of its localization, will not interfere on the surgical procedure. The light bulb is protected to avoid damages with the instruments and has a thermal isolation to prevent the specula""s upper sheet to be heated because it would create injuries on the vaginal mucous.